The present invention relates to ceiling fans.
A typical ceiling fan will include a down rod assembly suspended from the ceiling, a motor having a motor shaft connected to a lower portion of the down rod assembly and a motor body which rotates about the motor shaft, a motor housing secured to either the motor shaft or the down rod assembly which is stationary and surrounds the motor, blade mounting arms which are connect to the motor body and extend out of an opening of the motor housing or below the motor housing, and a hub attached to the motor shaft below the fan blades and fan blade arms.
Because the motor housing of a typical ceiling fan encloses the motor, the motor housing must have various openings to allow the escape of heat from the motor. However, the openings in the motor housing complicate the design of the motor housing and may limit the escape of heat from the motor because of the limited availability of the apertures in the motor housing. Therefore, there is a need for a motor housing that will provide the motor with better heat transfer than a typical motor housing.
Many ceiling fans include lighting fixtures which are incorporated into the hub. However, end users may want the versatility of changing between the option of not having a lighting fixture, or the option of having a lighting fixture. Therefore, there is a need for a ceiling fan with the ability to quickly change between the option of having a lighting fixture, and the option of not having a lighting fixture.
In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a ceiling fan having a motor connected to a plurality of fan blades, a cage surrounding the motor with a fan blade opening, wherein the fan blades extend outwardly through the fan blade opening and the fan blade opening provides clearance for the fan blades to rotate without contacting the cage. In a further embodiment, the cage is a wire cage.
In another embodiment, the present invention comprises a ceiling fan having a motor with a motor shaft, a hub canister containing a lighting fixture, and a detachable hub cover and a detachable light cover, wherein the detachable hub cover and light cover are interchangeable covers for the hub canister. In a further embodiment, the invention further includes hub light electrical leads with hub light electrical connectors, and the light fixture further includes fixture electrical leads with fixture electrical connectors that mate with the hub light electrical connectors. In another further embodiment, the hub canister further includes hub protrusions and the hub cover and the lighting cover further include channels to receive the hub protrusions, thereby securing the respective hub cover or light cover to the hub canister.